Heating system



E. P. RICH.

HEATING SYSTEM.

APPLICMION FILED JAN. 30. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

1920. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 4 E P RICH HEATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1919.

nnwnn'n 1'. men, or cnicneo, ILLINOIS.

HEATING SYSTEM.

Specification 0t Letters-Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed January 30, 1919. Serial No. 274,007.

To all whom it may, concern: .1 Be it known'that I, EDWARD P. RICH a citizen of the United States,-residing at Chivcago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois have invented a certain new and useful improvement in, Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heating systems,- more particularly steam-'heatmgsystems 1n which the steam supply pi e leads from a pointabove the radiator. t will be understood by those skilled in the art of heating that it frequently happens that the steam supply pipes are necessarily located overhead. This is true for example, in the average one story factory building where the floor is laid directly upon the ground and no basement is available for below-floor'piping. In such cases-the heating'main is hung overhead near the roof and runs the length of the building with drop pipes at suitable intervals for the-individual radiators. The

valve for controlling the flow of steam to any particularradiator is naturally located at the radiator and not at the 'steammain after condensation occupies-but a small fraction of the space it originally occupied, fresh steam from the main lead comes in to take its place, and this action continues until frequently the entire down-pipe is filled with water. The result is that the water in the down-pipe frequently freezes with the usual damaging results. The object of my invention isto provide means whereby it becomes possible to turn the heat onto or oil of the radiator as may be desired and at the same time keep the down-pipe thoroughly drained. Viewed in another aspect, it is my object to do away with extra piping for drainage purposes. According to my invention the condensation from the drop riser or g on. It is when the radiator is shut off that portion of my com ound valve is not called upon to operate w en the steam is turned the automatic feature comes into play.

' Heretofore drainage has been provided for only by the aid of cumbrous and expensive extra connections, which are totally dispensed with in my system. As will hereinafter appear, in my system the automatic valve is thermally controlled and the thermo sensitive element is at all times subject to the fluid on the inlet side of the main valve and yet, when the automatic valve is open, it passes the fluid to the discharge side of the main valve. I accomplish my object by the construction illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurel is a diagrammatic view showing a typical installation in a saw tooth factory building.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the valve employed, the .view being taken on the line 22, Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

F Fig. 4 is a plan sectionon the line 4-4,

ig. 5 is a general perspective view of a typical form of installation, as in Fig. 1.

F ig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line 66 Fig. 3.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the diagram, 1 represents the horizontal steam main which is located near the upper portion of the room-in this case near the roof 2. It will be understood that this steam main runs the entire length of the building or such portion thereof as is to be heated by it. Leading to each of the radiators 3 is a lateral 4 connected to a downpipe 5 for supplying the radiator. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 4 which illustrate the preferred valve construction, 7 represents a valve casing provided in the present case with an internally threaded hub 8 adapted to receive a nipple 9 connected by means of an elbow 10 to the with the main shut-off valve 14 which is here shown as being arranged horizontally. It will be understood however that any of the well known types of shut-ofl valves may be employed-with like effect. It will also be understood that in some cases the ring 13 maybe omitted, permitting the main valve to seat upon one of the integral portions of the casing. Valve 14 is controlled by a threaded stem 15 passin through a suitable stufling box composed o the parts 16, 17, 18 or any suitable substitute therefor. A hand wheel 20 is provided for rotating the stem. At the outlet end of the valve casing is an internally threaded hub 22 which takes the threaded end of the 'pipe 23 which leads to the radiator. A return pipe 24 shown in the diagram, Fig. 1, conveys the waste steam and water away from the radiator. It is here shown as beingbeneath the floor, which conforms to well recogmzed practice.

At the side of the valve casing, opposite to the internal wall 12, is a by-pass having two principal chambers 25, 26. These are separated by a wall 27 at the upper end of which is an annular openin supporting a valve seat 30, best shown in *ig. 3. This is adapted to cotiperate with the valve proper 31 of a'thermal expansion trap, having a so called bellows 32 suspended from a cap 33 screwing down into the top. of the by-pass. Traps of this kind are well known and for the present purpose it is sufiicient to say that the device is so constructed that beneath the predetermined critical temperature the .bellows will remain contracted and hold valve 31 away from its seat. When the critical temperature is reached or exceeded the bellows expands and lowers the valve onto its seat, thus shutting off the passageway. In my device I so arrange and construct the thermal trap that the valve 31 will remain open unless subjected to the'temperatureof steam. Consequently, the valve will remain open and permit water to pass but will close as soon as it becomes enveloped insteam. By preference the by-pass 25, 26 is in semi-circular form when viewed in plan as in Fig. 4. By preference it is also located at or near the bottom of the valve casing.

In operation, when the apparatus is in- .stalled in the manner described, if the main valve 14 isibp'en, the steam from themain 1, laterall l anddown-pipe 5 will have a practically unobstructed flow throu h the valve casing and into the radiator. ut if the heat of the radiator is not desired the attendant closes the main valve 14. So long as the internal parts of the valve casing remain at or above the boiling point of water the thermal valve 31 will remain closed. As the parts cool ofl, however, especially the lateral 4 and down-pipe 5, Water will begin to collect in the bottom of the valve casing" 7. As soon as this reaches the bellows the latter will contract and open valve 31 and permit the water to pass 011' throu h the passage 26 and into the outlet 24. ut as soon as the water has passed and steam commences to flow the bellows will immediately close the valve, Consequently,' the down-pipe necessary for him to open the main valve from time to time to prevent danger of Consequently the freezing, but by installing my apparatus no attention is necessary. It will be noted that in my system the thermo-sensitive element of the automatic .valve is on the supply side of the main valve and on the supply side of the automatic valvethat is-it 'is at all times adapted to be influenced by the temperature of the fluid (whether water or steam) in the down pipe or, drop riser. Nevertheless, when the automatic valve is open it will permit water to pass the main valve whether the latter is open or closed. My apparatus also economizes steam for the reason that when the operator opens the main valve he nec-' essarilylets a considerable quantity, of steam pass into and through the radiator. With my system steam is never admitted in any appreciable quantity except when the main valve is open. My system also prevents water hammer for if the water in the radiatorbacks up to the level of the bellows the bellows will open and hence subject the water in the radiator to steam pressure which will drive the water out.

It will'be noted in Fig. 1 that the lateral leads out of the bottom of the main 1. This aflords means for draining the main when desired.

- I do not herein claim the valve casing and parts within it specifically as they form the subject of a divisional application filed March 20th, 1920 Serial No. 367,549.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A heating system having a radiator, an

overhead source of steam supply, a main shut off valve interposed between them, a by pass leading around said valve, and a thermally controlled valve in said by pass 7 subject to the action of the fluid on the supply side of said thermally controlled valve.

2. Heating apparatus comprising a. radiator, a steam supply main above said radiator, a down-pipe leading from said supply main to the radiator, a valve casing forming a connection between the down-pipe and the radiator, said alve casing having a main shut-off valve, a 13' -pass around said valve,

and a valve in sai by-pass adapted to open in the presence of water and close in the pEesence of steam appearing on the supply s1 e.

3. Heating apparatus comprising a radiator, a steam supply main above said radiator, a down-pipe leading from said supply main to the radiator, a valve casing forming a connection between the down-pipe and the radiator, said valve casing having a main shut-off valve, a by-pass emerging from the side of the casing on the supply side of the main valve and-at a point near the bottom of the casing, said by-pass making a return bend and reentering the casing at a point on the discharge side of the main shut-oil valve, and a thermally controlled valve for controlling the flow through saidbypass, said thermally controlled valve being adapted to be influenced at all timesby the fiuid on the supply side thereof.

4. Heating apparatus comprising a radiator, a steam supply main above said radiator, a down-pipe leading from said supply main to the radiator, a valve casing formin a connection between the down-pipe an the radiator, said valve casing having a main shut-off valve, a by-pass emerging from the side of the casing on the supply side of the main valve and at a point near the bottom of the casing, said by-pass malt-- ing a'return bend and rentering the casing at a point on the discharge side of the main shut-off valve, the point of rentr-y being near the bottom of the valve casing, and a thermally controlled valve for controlling the flow throu h said by-pass, said thermally controlle valve bem adapted to be influenced at all times by t e fluid on the suppllyi side thereof.

5. eating apparatus comprising a radiator, a steam supply main above said radiator, a down-pipe'leading from said supply of the valve casing, and a thermally con-- trolled valve -for controlling the flow through said by-pass, said casing extending.

in the main horizontally and the thermally controlled valve being near the bottom of the casing to thereby avoid the trapping of any considerable quantity of water, said thermall controlled valve being ada ted to be in uenced at all times by the flui on the supply side thereof.

6. A heating system havin a radiator, a down-pipe chiefly abovesai radiator and leading thereto from a source of steam sup ply, a valve casing interposed between the downpipe and the radiator and twoyvalves in said casing, one being the main shut oif valve and the other being an automatic valve ada ted to close in the presence of steam an open in the presence of water, said automatic valve communicating with the casing on the supply side of the main valve and also on the discharge side thereof, whereby it may ass water even though the main valve is c osed and the device as a whole may pass either steam or water if the main valve is open, regardless of whether the automatic valve is open or closed.

was

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub.80

scribed my name.

' EDWARD P. RICH. 

